Polls close at 8 p.m. tonight in , but : Although ballots can be processed as early as seven days before Election Day, they can鈥檛 actually be counted until polls close.
Meanwhile, mail-in ballots postmarked by today will be counted through Nov. 15. And more time is needed to process ballots cast by those who register to vote today.
- Secretary of State Shirley Weber said in a statement: 鈥淏y law, county election officials have 30 days to count every valid ballot and conduct a post-election audit. 鈥� We have a process that by law ensures both , so I would call on all Californians to be patient.鈥�
- Weber added: 鈥淭his process includes the verification of signatures on every vote-by-mail ballot envelope, the processing of same-day voter registrations, the processing of provisional ballots, and reaching out to voters to provide opportunities for voters to cure missing or mismatched signatures.鈥�
But while California鈥檚 final election results won鈥檛 be , the outcome of most races 鈥� apart from particularly close ones 鈥� should be clear tonight, Weber said.
- Political consultant Michael Trujillo : 鈥淚f your race is within 10 points at the end of election night, it鈥檚 probably premature to call it a win. If you鈥檙e up 20 (points), you鈥檙e probably safe.鈥�
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